Bulls Fighting

Art Historical Context

George Catlin's *Bulls Fighting* (1861/1869), an oil painting on card mounted on paper, captures the raw power of the American West. Measuring 47 x 63.5 cm, this work from the Paul Mellon Collection at the National Gallery of Art Catlin's lifelong fascination with the vanishing frontier. A self-taught artist renowned for his documentary-style portraits of Native Americans during his 1830s travels Plains tribes, Catlin here turns to the wildlife that sustained them—likely depicting two massive bison bulls locked in combat. Painted late in Catlin's career, amid personal hardships that prompted smaller-scale works on unconventional supports like card, the piece reflects his commitment to realism and ethnographic accuracy. The oil medium allows vivid textures of fur, muscle, and dust, evoking the drama of buffalo herds central to Indigenous hunting cultures. These animals symbolized abundance and survival, yet their near-extinction by the late 19th century underscored the tragic transformation of the Plains. Visitors will appreciate how *Bulls Fighting* bridges art and history, immersing us in a world of untamed vitality now preserved forever.

About the Artist

George Catlin · 1796–1872

George Catlin (1796–1872), born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, to Putnam Catlin and Polly Sutton—who had been captured by Native Americans during the 1778 Battle of Wyoming—initially pursued a legal career. Trained at Litchfield Law School, he was admitted to the bar in 1819 but abandoned law after two years to study art in Philadelphia in 1823. Self-taught as a portraitist, Catlin quickly gained ...